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Lecture series explores issues surrounding residential schools, reconciliation

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The legacy of Indian residential schools and ways to advance the cause of reconciliation will be the focus of the 2019-20 lecture series sponsored by the Friends and Neighbours of The Save The Evidence Campaign.

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Lecture topics range from the history of lacrosse to the recollections of a Canadian senator.

This is the fourth season for the lecture series, which will open in October and runs to March. All events are free and open to the public.

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The lectures are sponsored by the Friends and Neighbours Group, a grassroots committee of volunteers supporting the Woodland Cultural Centre’s Save The Evidence Campaign. The lectures are presented in partnership with Laurier Brantford and the Sanderson Centre.

Organizers say the goal of the lecture series is to educate people and promote a community dialogue about the former Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School and reconciliation. The Mohawk Institute, on Mohawk Street in Brantford, operated as a residential school from 1828 until its closing in 1970.

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The first four presentations will take place at Laurier Brantford Research and Academic Centre, 150 Dalhousie St. The fifth lecture, by Tanya Talaga, will take place at the Sanderson Centre, 88 Dalhousie St.

Here’s the lineup:

•  Oct. 9 –  Alan Downey, author of The Creator’s Game, an award-winning book on the history of lacrosse, describes how the sport was used by Indigenous people to resist residential school experiences and display their sovereignty.

•  Nov. 6 – The Sleeping Giant Awakes: Genocide, Indian Residential Schools and Conciliation – David B. MacDonald, from Treaty 4 territory and a professor at the University of Guelph, provides a unique perspective on the prospects for conciliation following the genocide of the residential school system and the “Sixties Scoop.” Presented in conjunction with Reconciling Circle, organizers of Treaties Recognition Week.

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•  Nov. 27 –Seeking Shelter: Indigenous People Seeking Safety in Their Own Country – Senator Mary Jane McCallum, a dentist of Cree heritage, will share her experience as a residential school survivor as part of her ongoing effort to raise awareness and understanding.

•  Jan. 15 – Her Water Drum, an award-winning film by Jonathan Elliott of Six Nations, deals with the topic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, highlighting the impact on individual families and their communities.

• March 24 – Investigative journalist Talaga’s acclaimed book, Seven Fallen Feathers, focuses on the lives of Indigenous students over a quarter century in Thunder Bay, Ont. She delves into the history of the community that has come to represent Canada’s long struggle with human rights violations against Indigenous communities.

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Save the Evidence is a capital campaign to raise awareness and support for the repair and renovation of the Mohawk Institute building.  Its goal is to ensure the physical evidence of the dark history of residential schools in Canada is never forgotten.

After its closing in 1970, the former Mohawk Institute reopened as the Woodland Cultural Centre, which operates as a museum, gallery and cultural hub for Indigenous history, language, education, art and contemporary culture. The Save the Evidence campaign has received support from Six Nations elected council, City of Brantford and the province, as well as from individuals and organizations.

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